It is not often that I finish novels, have my criticisms, and days later find myself believing that I was in the wrong — that the parts of the book that I originally faulted, actually created a more fulsome, meaningful book.

It is also not often that an author encapsulates pure, unfiltered loyalty the way Chevy Stevens does in Dark Roads.

These two points, while rare, have created a novel so thoughtful, it took days for me to process. 

Dark Roads, published in late summer 2021, follows the intertwined paths of two protagonists, Hailey and Beth. Although, I would argue that this story features many more than two protagonists. The lives of all the characters weave so tightly together that the lines blur between where one story starts and another ends.

Set in rural Cold Creek, the jumping-off point for the story is a road. Cold Creek Highway is a long stretch of uninterrupted pavement that has brought too many young girls to their deaths at the hands of the Cold Creek Killer.

Our story begins with Hailey, a young girl entering adulthood, grieving the loss of her father and being confined to the four walls of her aunt and uncle’s house. The same uncle whose reputation is almost as suffocating as his rules. Running away, Hailey leaves behind her best friend Jonny and her new love interest Amber, letting the story roll that she was another victim of the Cold Creek Killer.

Months later, Amber becomes the next genuine victim of the Killer, and her sister Beth travels to Cold Creek in hopes that discovering the story of her sister’s disappearance will help ease the missing piece in her life.

Dark Roads’ strength is not found in its intrigue. Although there was a plot-twist, the story’s plot created stepping stones for this to happen. I might not have known what was going to happen, but I knew something was going to happen.

There are times where the lack of mystique around plot-arcs in a novel is done by mistake, leaving readers disappointed, and other times where readers get to the end of a novel and the unsurprising plot-twist just makes sense. The latter is the case in Dark Roads.

The antagonist is two-fold: the uncle and the killer. While most of the novel is set up for the two to be the same, readers know that is too easy. It’s too predictable. I found myself wondering why Stevens would write a plotline that weak, when the rest of her novel was done so well. I quickly realized that, as a reader, I was seeing the novel from 3000 feet above. The important part was not truly discovering the killer, but rather it was discovering peace for Hailey and Beth. And so, I had to read the story as though I was finding that peace. At that point, the plotline made sense. Hailey and Beth would have pegged anyone as the Killer if it meant they were no longer hurting.     

This commitment to uncovering the truth at all costs is based in loyalty throughout the entire novel. All of the characters are loyal to each other almost to a fault. Their loyalty intertwines so intricately that, at times, they are pulled between multiple people. This beautifully emphasizes the way small communities are knit together, but also the way grief and loss connect people.

Hailey is loyal to her dad, who was equal parts her parent and her closest friend. Jonny is loyal to Hailey through planning, executing, and dealing with the aftermath of her running away, even when it brings him into legal trouble. He expands his loyalty to Beth when she comes to town, instantly becoming her friend and protector, even when he finds himself stuck between protecting Hailey, and protecting Beth. Beth herself is loyal to both Jonny and Hailey, without even knowing them, trusting in the way her sister loved and cherished them both. And Amber, well, Amber truly is the glue that holds them all together. Without fail, they are all loyal to Amber, in life and in death.

And so, while some may say that the plotline of this novel is weak, and that the ending — the realization of the real Killer — is rushed, I would argue that’s the point. The story is not about the Killer, the murders, or any part of the crimes. The story is about grief, relationships, and above all else, loyalty.

This is why the novel doesn’t end when the Killer is caught, but when Beth leaves town. The story ends with Amber’s epilogue.

Stevens writes, “Did she feel my love? Did she know that for me there was no more pain? No more sorrow and anger? I hoped so. She’d done it. She’d set me free.”

Because, in the end, the characters’ loyalty is what brings each other peace, but most importantly, it’s what brings Amber peace. Our world, outside of novels, is so interconnected, we are desperate for loyalty wherever we turn. It keeps us safe. It helps us know we are part of something, not individuals without support. In Dark Roads, Stevens writes loyalty between characters who barely know each other, whose connections are minimal. Hints of the found-family trope remind us as readers that in times of great loss and loneliness, we cling to connection wherever we can find it.

All of the characters in the novel are dealing with grief and loss. There was never a time where loyalty was more important to them. Even when they had no reason to trust each other, their shared loyalty to Amber was what saved them. Amber protected them in death the way they protected each other in life. And so, while the road is dark, Amber finds light — and that is the point of the novel.